Second Chances
by riversong15
Summary: "Callie, you may be ready to give up on us, but we aren't ready to give up on you." Stef and Lena were able to get Callie back in 1x12, but she's reluctant to accept becoming a part of their family. How will the family change her mind, and what will happen now that she's back? WILL contain Brallie so don't read if you don't like.
1. Welcome Home

Author's Note: Welcome to my new story, if you don't know me, I'm riversong15, check out my profile for other Fosters stories. This was a story I had planned for a very long time, started writing it weeks ago, and I feel like since the season is over, I know what kind of things I can put in the story. I hope you enjoy it, and just in case you didn't read the summary, this will contain Brallie, but it's not like my other fics where it's all about Callie and Brandon. I'm trying to steer towards a more family fic. As always, enjoy.

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"...And we feel she deserves a second chance."

"Thank you, Mrs. Adams-Foster. If the defendant has nothing to say than I am ready for my ruling."

Stef and Lena clasped hands and Callie closed her eyes and waited for the crushing blow of being sent back to Juvie. Those that thought that Hell was burning under the recesses of the Earth clearly never felt the cold emptiness of the metal box they crammed troubled youths into so that they could reflect on the error of their ways. Callie wonders how some kids could even live with having to be sent back, especially if you experienced the kind of safety and love in a home like the Fosters household.

"I have taken into consideration Ms. Jacob's request not to be sent back into Mrs. and Mrs. Adams-Foster care. Ms. Jacob provided no reason for changing her original statement two weeks ago. Upon questioning both parties, the court did not conclude to why Ms. Jacob would run away. Based on the past statements from Ms. Jacob and her brother, and the insistence of her foster parents, I rule that Ms. Jacob returns to the care of Mrs. Stef Adams-Foster and Mrs. Lena Adams-Foster. I believe that they can provide the best care for her.

_No_, Callie thought, _Send me anywhere, please, I don't want to, you can't make me go back._

Callie wanted to believe that last part but knew it was worthless. The court will make her and any sign that she will not follow the court's decision will land her right back into juvie.

Callie's face stayed blank but a clenching of hands showed a sign that she was not happy, and Lena took note of it as her wife struggled not to cry with joy that they succeeded.

"Ms. Jacobs," the Judge continued," you will not get off without consequences. Your probation will be extended another 8 months and any more problems will land you in a group facility. I do not want to see your face in my court again. Case dismissed."

Callie didn't want to comprehend that she was going back. After all the trouble she went threw to get out only to be shoved back in.

_So much for controlling my life_. Stef and Lena came up to her after she was officially released, with Callie in regular clothes instead of the gray uniform, and immediately went to hug her. Callie didn't even try to reciprocate it, just stood there with her hands hanging by her side.

"Callie, are you okay? What's wrong?" Lena asked.

"I didn't want you to come." Callie blankly stated. "You knew that."

"Callie," Lena said in a comforting voice. "You may be ready to give up on us, but we aren't ready to give up on you.

Stef smiled at Callie, who was avoiding their gazes. "Come on, let's go home."

'Home.' The word haunted Callie. It meant nothing but a physical place where people escaped from their lives. As far as Callie knew, she hadn't had one of those since she was a kid. She definitely didn't think the Fosters house was an escape. In fact, it was now her prison.

To her relief, they arrived before the kids got back from school and she wouldn't have to deal with any family members asking questions she didn't want to answer.

They set Callie's things down and Lena watched as she took in her surroundings like she had never been there before.

"What is it Callie?"

"It's still the same."

"Well yeah, it's only been a week."

"I don't mean it like that."

"Well, what do you mean?"

"Last time I got out of Juvie, I came straight to your house, and when I saw it, it was just a house. But now I know what it's like to sit on that couch and how often you really use the oven. I look at this table and see months of dinners eaten here. Yet, it's still the same as before."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because last time, I looked around and thought, 'this is not my house'."

Callie took some satisfaction from the hurt look on their faces. Maybe they'll get that they should've let her go. Call Bill and let him know that Callie doesn't belong there, with this family. They think that she is the missing piece to their family, but what they don't know is that their smooth jigsaw puzzle doesn't match her jagged edges.

_Callie, you're still a kid. Like it or not, you need an adult to care for you._

That was an insult to Callie. After everything she's been through, how ready she was to become her own person, someone the system doesn't control, she should not be considered a kid.

"Callie, we need you to help us understand why you ran away. We need to know if we did something, wrong to make you not trust us anymore. We still want you in this family, but we don't feel comfortable adopting you if you don't want to be here."

"Then don't." Callie says. "Don't adopt me. I only said yes because Jude would refuse for us to be separated."

"Callie, you could have just told us you didn't want to be adopted, you didn't have to run away."

"Look it wasn't just the adoption. I want to be out of the system, and the only way I can do that is if I can live on my own, independently, without having an adult decide my fate."

"What about Jude?"

"What about him?"

"Would you have come back for him? Taken him from us?"

"Is that what you're worried about? That I would have taken Jude and you couldn't adopt either of us. Is adopting us really that important to you?"

"What's important to us is that you both end up in a house that is safe for the both of you."

"What I need is freedom. Jude needs a home and now, he has you guys to take care of him now."

"Callie, running away was pretty-"

"Selfish? Jude told me as much."

"Reckless. I was going to say reckless. And when did Jude call you selfish, Callie?"

Callie immediately shut up, not ready to tell them about her requited feelings for their son, the one that until recently was only supposed to be a temporary housemate, and the kiss they shared. She was surprised that at this point, neither Brandon nor Jude told them about the kiss. It would be so Brandon to tell them. He would do it to protect her and to try getting them to understand.

_Too bad, he didn't tell them_. That would have been a sure fire way to not be sent back.

_Maybe I should tell them._ Despite Stef and Lena's assurance that they want her, there was no way they would let this slide, not when Stef had already warned Brandon about hooking up with his foster sister.

_What would happen to Brandon?_ Callie didn't think his moms would let him off easy and knowing how stubborn he was, he wouldn't let Stef and Lena stop them from being together.

_It will be hard to stay away from him this time._ They already gave in to temptation, and once wouldn't be enough.

_It will be harder to never see him again._ And at that thought, she decided to keep her silence.

"Callie?"

"We fought, during the wedding. I told him I didn't want to be adopted and he thought I was ruining this for him. He deserves a home."

"Then what do you deserve?"

Callie paused at that word. _Deserve_. Same as merited, rightful, just, fair, everything her life has not been in the last 6 years, in the last year really.

Still reeling from the Olmsteads, she and Jude were forced to play maid to a drunken asshole whose wife just left him for the guy he worked with. When he finally went too far by hurting Jude, she beat his stupid car with the vent up anger she had from the last 5 homes they were placed in.

Those three months in Juvie were the worst on her, physically and emotionally. Being shoved by cellmates, ignored by guards, and forced to defend her at points, it was not being able to protect Jude that brought the agony of being there.

Even living at the Fosters for the last 2 months was no slice of heaven. When she realized she was falling for the boy across the hall, she flashed back to Liam coming into her room and doing what he wanted with her. It kept her awake at most nights, afraid Brandon would sneak in the same way and do the same awful things. She had to remind herself, Marianna was there, and he wouldn't do it if someone else were with her.

But he didn't even try and the poor thing seemed almost weak when he didn't even push the subject of his feelings for her after that date-gone-wrong with Wyatt. And when she realized that he wasn't going to hurt her like Liam, it hit her that if she gets kicked out of the house for having a relationship with her foster brother, it will be because _she _pushed it, _she _was the one that made it happen.

It was like she had separated the people in her life into different places in her heart. Marianna and Jesus belonged in "Family", Wyatt in "Best Friend", and Jude in a special, exclusive part just for him labeled "Superior", for he was the most important thing in her life.

But Stef and Lena wouldn't fit into "Mother" for there was only room for her own mom. Even her dad still stayed, but it was small and close to being forgotten. She had almost placed them in "Regrets" until she realized Liam was there, and he didn't even deserve to be put in the same universe as them. She had decided that she didn't need them, but she couldn't just cast them out, not after everything they did for her. She instead placed them under "The Good Ones", a very empty and sad part of her heart.

Callie was never good at figuring out what she wanted until she met Brandon. She didn't even think she had the right to. She wasn't even this desperate for Liam than she was for Brandon.

She tried for weeks thinking, "It's just a crush, it's no big deal, and just wait for him to stop caring like everyone else." But he didn't. And she could feel their stares growing more intense and found herself noticing him more when he walked into the room and when she finally kissed him; she knew she had screwed herself. She unknowingly placed him under a part of her heart that hadn't existed but formed when her heart started growing with the love and protection she felt from the whole family. Brandon's place had taken the spot of "Mine", a cross between what she wanted and what she needed. She knew her attraction had already evolved into full-blown love when her heart broke seeing him asleep in his bed when she had last set foot in this house.

The thought of leaving the boy, no the man that had helped her out more in the span of two months that any court appointed shrink in the past 6 years, who held the power to make her break her promise to Jude, was only overshadowed by her love for her brother.

Callie had a determination to give him the life he deserved. He, who has done nothing wrong, who suffers whenever she screws up in a home, and finally told her like it is at the wedding. How to him, she doesn't care if she ruins his life for a chance to be selfish.

But she does care, and even if it did hurt him, she left and gave him the chance to either embrace this family without her, or ruin his own chances, because she was a little upset that he got the opportunity to get a family when she had to run in order to ensure it. She didn't want to the blood to be on her hands.

_I protected him too long. He needed to realize that he doesn't need me anymore._

"Callie?" Stef asks, wondering why she went quiet again.

Callie snapped out of her trance. "It doesn't matter what I deserve."

Callie kept talking, "It doesn't matter because if the judge decides to take me away, or some parent complains about me, or I act in a way that breaks the precious rules of the system, they decide what I deserve based on past actions that apparently do define me, Lena. Because I did do those things, and even if I did have my reasons, this freaking system is not perfect, because even if I was raped, it comes back to haunt me."

"So you know what I deserve." Callie says after a moment, "To be free of the fraudulent system that has controlled my life and how I am defined, okay? That's what I deserve."

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Next Chapter: Stef and Lena try to figure out why Callie left, someone talks to Callie.


	2. (No) Holding Back

Author's Note: Wow, 17 follows after one chapter? It may not seem like a lot to some, but to me, that's great! Not a lot of reviews though, but the ones I got were pretty awesome. Just so you know, I have a big project that I will be spending the next 2 months on, so that is why I'm spacing out these updates. Next one for this story will be in (about) a week, I promise, it's already written out. Anyway, here's chapter two, enjoy.

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It was so incredibly uplifting to be able to speak her mind. The only time she ever has to speak this freely was when she yelled at Brandon, or told the truth in court. She didn't hold back and she told them the goddamned truth, even if it wasn't what they wanted.

Stef cleared her throat and looked at Lena. "I think we need some time to discuss this. You can go up to your room and wait for the other kids to come home. They will be very happy when we call them with the news that you are back."

Callie scoffed. _They will be pissed; they just won't realize it until they see me._

Callie took her bags and brought them upstairs, and almost made it into the bedroom until she realized she wanted something.

She crept back downstairs and listened for voices. When she heard none, she deduced that they went outside to talk, and proceeded into the living room to grab her guitar. She had wanted to take it with her, but feared she would have nowhere it put it. And it wasn't like she was good enough to play on the streets for cash. So she reluctantly left it behind, even if it was the best gift anyone ever gave her.

When she got to the place where she usually left it, the guitar, the stand, and the case were gone. Disappointed, she made it back into the hallway where she left her stuff. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

Nothing happened, but for some reason she was expecting to feel something when walking back, like sadness or joy, something, but it was just another room, she slept in, a room that belonged to another girl.

The last thing Callie wanted to do was sleep, because it would make the reunion with the rest of the family come faster, but she hadn't gotten a good nights sleep in over a week. She passed out within seconds.

Meanwhile in the backyard of the house.

"I don't feel good about this Stef"

"Oh, so we should have let her stay in Juvie. Or send her to a group home. We are helping her Lena."

"I still feel like there is something she is hiding. Maybe she wants to be with Wyatt. She did runaway with him."

"Marianna assured me that they broke up a while ago. Better off as friends or something like that. Besides, she left Wyatt when we arrived. I think she would have stayed if that was her intention."

"I wish she would have told him why she left."

"Maybe," Stef wondered, "she'll open up to Jude." An idea popped into her head. "What if we listen to what she says to Jude? She says they fought and I don't think it was just over the adoption."

"Stef, we can't spy on her! She'll never trust us again. No, if she wants to talk, she will talk. We just have to wait until she is ready."

"Last time we waited, it was for 2 months."

"We have time Stef. It's not like she'll be leaving us soon."

"That's what we thought last time too."

"Look Stef, I'm scared too, okay. I never want to worry if one of our kids will leave in the middle of the night, trying as hard as they can to not be found. But right now we need to focus on not that she left but that she doesn't want to be here."

Stef sighed. "You're right, you're right. I just feel like she threw us away like we were nothing to her. It's not fair to anyone to feel that way"

"I think Callie and Jude would agree to that too, wouldn't you say."

Lena's phone buzzed and she saw it was Jesus calling. "Hey bud, what is it? Oh, you're coming back now? Okay, we'll see you soon, bye love." She hung up and looked at Stef's suddenly worried face. "What is it?"

"I just realized that we never called the kids about Callie."

"Well, Marianna and Brandon have something after school and Jude is going over to Connor's. Mike is giving Jesus a ride home since my car is apparently broken."

"I just wonder how we are supposed to introduce Callie back into the family. Should we let the kids give her space? Should she decide who she gets to see?"

"I think our kids know how to handle this Stef. It's not their first time dealing with Callie."

"Of course, I know. God," Stef flopped onto a chair, "I just hope she is less hostile towards them than she is to us."

"I'll go check on her." Lena got up and walked up the stairs. She looked inside to see a sleeping Callie. Lena sighed. Even though Callie puts up this front, it must have been exhausting and stressful to have been sent back to Juvie.

"She's sleeping." Lena said when she got back downstairs.

"Poor thing must have been hard going back to Juvie."

They heard the door slam. "Stef? Lena?"

"In the back guys!"

"Hey," Jesus said, Mike in tow. "So what happened? Is she back?"

"Yes, and she's upstairs resting, it wasn't good for her to be back in there."

"Eh, she's a tough cookie. Hopefully she'll feel better now that she's back." Mike said.

"I wouldn't be too sure. She wasn't that happy to see we showed up and was even less happy when she was sent back here. She specifically wanted to be sent to another home"

"What!" Jesus yelled. "Why are we even letting her back if she doesn't want to be here?"

"Because we still want her here. All of us, Jesus. And if we don't make it seem that way, it will be harder for her to trust us again."

"Can I talk to her?" Jesus asked. "I think it might help."

"Are you sure? She might not want to talk" Stef didn't want Jesus to be unprepared.

"What harm will it do?" Jesus didn't think he'd make a breakthrough, but he thought he should at least try.

"Okay, just wake her up gently." Jesus quickly made his way upstairs. He didn't really know what to say but he thought it would help Callie know that they care.

He went into Marianna's room and was surprised to see that Callie was awake. "Hey, they told me you were sleeping."

"Didn't stop you from coming up here to talk." Callie grumbled

"Wow, you are in a bad mood."

"What are you doing Jesus? We weren't that close, I don't know what you think you will get out of this." Other than dinner and evenings, she never talked to him. He probably cared the least that I left.

"I just thought we should talk about Jude."

"Why? Did something happen?" Callie was suddenly worried.

"Yeah something did happen. His sister just left in the middle of the night and abandoned him, choosing to leave instead of getting adopted." Jesus thought that this might hurt her, help her understand how Jude felt.

Instead, Callie just got annoyed. "How dare you. Don't tell me how to take care of him I did that for years. You think that since you shared a room with him for a couple months that you know more about him?"

"Did he ever talk about you getting arrested? How that affected him?" Jesus questioned. Callie's silence gave him his answer. "Sharing a room does entitle you to some late night talks. Look, I know how if feels, to want to leave because you think you'll mess up. Hell, our foster parents left us at a police station. You think that even the best people will find the worse in you and abandon you in a second. I thought I could protect Marianna when we were younger. I thought that it was my job. But it wasn't. We both needed parents to do it. Every kid needs an adult to take care of them."

Callie interrupted, "No offense, but you were eight years old. You couldn't take your life back like I wanted to."

"No I couldn't just leave my only sister because I was scared. I had to not only trust other people to take care of her, but to take care of me too." Jesus stood up. "I think I've said my piece. See you at dinner, Callie."

Callie huffed and Jesus walked out of the room.

"How did it go?" Lena asked. It was only a few minutes after he left.

"She was pissed when I started talking about Jude. Other than that, I hope she listened to me."

"How's Lexi?" Mike said.

"She called a few hours ago and Marianna and I both got to talk to her. She's good. It just sucks that she will be so far away. Any chance our next vacation will be in Honduras." Jesus looked hopeful to him moms.

Stef gave him a sad smile. "It's get easier being away from somebody you love. You won't even look back at us when it comes to college."

"I think if I had the choice, I would do whatever it took to make it work." Jesus got up. "I need to work off some energy. I'm going to shoot hoops."

"Any chance you want to help me with your mom's car?"

"Only if you beat me at a game of 21." Jesus challenged.

"You're on." Mike and Jesus rushed off to the front of the house. Stef and Lena made their way into the kitchen.

"I'm happy we have Mike around." Lena confessed. "He's good to all the kids."

"Yeah, and he's getting better. Captain says we'll be back to being partners in no time."

"Look at us, talking about Mike in a positive way."

"It only took 10 years."

They heard a door slam and saw Brandon quickly make his way up the stairs.

"B, hey can you come down here?" Stef wondered if he knew Callie was home.

"Yeah what is it?" Brandon asked, a little anxious to get upstairs.

"I just wanted you to know that Callie is home."

"Yeah, Jesus told me. I was going to go talk to her."

"Well, she's not in a good mood right now. She didn't like it that she was sent back here, and we're trying to get her to change her mind."

"Don't worry, I want her here just as much as you to do."

"We know B, you've been a really great friend to her."

Lena thought she saw a Brandon stiffen but it was gone so quickly that she must have imagined it. "Can I go now?"

"Sure, just be wise with what you say to her." Stef gave him a smile and he tried to not run going up the stairs.

Brandon made it to the top and almost threw the door open when he caught himself.

What if she didn't want to come back because of me? That little seed of doubt that formed when Callie first left had grown to a full-blown forest when word that she left Wyatt to be on her own reached the family. He didn't know if he could take the rejection from Callie, not when he had almost confessed his love for her last night to the whole family. But Jude's death glare made him shut up and mumble, "I don't know, I was thinking out loud."

_What if I had told them?_ Brandon hopes they have brought her home. But maybe they would have been pissed enough to not take her back. He doesn't know how he would live with the knowledge that he sent her back to Juvie.

_Come Brandon, be a man. You just broke up with Talya, you have nothing holding you back from being with the girl you love._

He took a deep breath, stared at the door for a moment and reached for the handle.

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Second Author's Note: So don't leave me hanging this time guys, review and tell me how you felt about this chapter! See you guys in a few days when _Words That Were Never Spoken _is updated.

Next Chapter: There is a reunion and a fight.


	3. Fight and Flight

Author's Note: I'm happy that you guys liked the Jesus scene. And heh, sorry about that little cliffhanger. And having to wait a week. But this chapter will make up for it, hopefully. This is probably the most Brallie I plan to have for now, the next chapter will have a little, the next chapter will have a little less. I'm really trying to not make this all about them. The fact is, Brandon is a big part of Callie's storyline. After the next few chapters though, I will be trying to get into the storylines of the other characters, like Marianna's, and expanding on a storyline for Jude (because who doesn't want to write about him, seriously he's freaking Judicorn). Some things may seem parallel to the show, but I will take my own artistic liberties when it comes that time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the reunion and fight.

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"Brandon?"

"Oh God!" Brandon spun and saw Callie standing behind him. "I. Um. I was going to-"

Callie launched herself at him, but instead of the punches and shoves he was expecting, he got a hug that could've snapped a few ribs.

His arms immediately encircled her waist and she clutched the back of his neck. They didn't say anything, but they didn't need to. Callie's reaction to seeing him was enough reassurance for him to know that he had nothing to worry about.

As much as Brandon wanted to relish in this moment, any minute now his moms could walk up and witness this hug as something more that a friendly kind. He released the hug and pulled her into his room, door slightly ajar.

"I missed you." He whispered, his forehead centimeters away from hers. "You have no idea how happy I am that you are back."

She pulled Brandon closer by his jacket so that their noses were touching and whispered, "I risked everything for you."

"I'd do the same." He pressed his lips to her forehead. His heart was beating a million times per minute and he hoped this wasn't some crazy dream he'd wake up from in a few minutes.

"I thought you'd be the most angry. I just left in the middle of the night with my ex-boyfriend the day after we kissed."

"Well," he starts looking into her eyes, "Just promise that you will never leave again."

"Mmmm." She thought. "I can't promise that," she says truthfully.

"How about this?" He pulled her waist towards him. "Next time you plan on running away, take me with you."

"Done."

She reached her hands up and wound them around his neck as she pulled her lips towards hers. Their lips moved together in perfect harmony. This kiss was deeper, passionate but with something dangerous underlying. This time, they were both aware of the consequences of what they were doing.

They had both suffered being apart, that they were so much more desperate, their movements showing how badly they wanted to be together. They both knew they couldn't go too far, not anytime soon, so after a minute, they broke apart.

"Is this your way of getting me to stay?" Callie guessed.

"Do you want to?"

"I don't want to be in the system anymore."

"And we can help you with that. Find you a place to stay, maybe there's a program for you."

"I wish I could just be emancipated, but I would need a million dollars for a lawyer to do it."

"Look, whatever you want Callie. I'll do it for you."

A pregnant pause followed until Brandon finally spoke. "What are we going to do? About us."

"What can we do? We're condemned to living in the same house right now."

"We could talk to Stef and Lena"

"They won't listen."

"But if we tell them how we feel-"

"Then it's a one way ticket back to Juvie."

"They wouldn't do that."

"Brandon," Callie exasperated. "Look they may want me to stay now, but if they knew what we were doing, they wouldn't want us in the same house. They wouldn't risk both Jude and mine's safety like that. They would separate you and me because they would think is was for the best."

"I won't let them take you."

"You won't have much choice when the cops come."

"I'll live with my dad."

"They would never allow that."

"They let me before."

"Yes, but they won't let you move out for this reason."

Brandon huffed in frustration. "Do you want this or not?"

"I want this. We just need to be smart about it. We need to be careful and wait to tell them about us. At least until something is official."

"Oh, so there's an us now?" He joked and grabbed her around the waist. She laughed a little and pushed him off.

"Well I don't kiss all my foster brother's like that, do I?"

"I'll have to ask Jesus next time."

She laughed and shoved his hands off her waist, backing away from him with a small smile on her face.

"You know, you're not that irresistible."

"I beg to differ. You were the one that kissed me."

"After 2 months of living across the hall from you. That took some serious willpower."

"Oh really?" He cocked his eyebrow and took a couple steps forward. "You didn't just want to walk in late at night, while I was practicing," he was two feet away now, "sneak up behind me," one foot away, "and just press one little kiss," he stood chest-to-chest to Callie, and who was smirking as she realized what he was doing, "to my cheek." He looked down at her, a smirk forming on his face.

She laughed a little. "I bet you wish I did."

"You'd bet right, because unlike you, I wasn't that strong. I would've told you how I felt that day if moms hadn't asked you to be a part of this family."

"Why did you say yes?" She was trying not to stare at his lips but she couldn't help but watch when he spoke.

"Because I wanted you to be happy."

Callie needed no other explanation. She put her hands around his neck and pulled him into another kiss. His arms encircled her waist, and didn't release her until they both needed air.

"See? Irresistible."

"It's not like you're holding back from kissing me."

"Who says I'm not." He kisses her again, with more force and she squeals when he picks her off the ground and she wraps her legs around his waist. He pushes her against the wall and she continues to run her hands down his chest as their mouths move together. It's a few minutes later before he stops and puts her down.

"I think we should save some of that for later." She smiles when he tucks her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, they might be wondering why you've been up here so long." She reaches down and takes his hands. "When you get down there, tell them I yelled at you, tell them I told you I wanted to leave, just make it sound like I'm mad at you."

"I got it Callie," he squeezes her hand and presses one last kiss on the top of her head. He leads her out of his room and she watches him go back downstairs as she stands in the doorway of "her" room.

When Brandon reaches the bottom of the stairs, his moms were waiting for him, interested in why he was gone for so long.

"You were up there for a while."

He froze for a second, wondering if they somehow knew.

"Yeah, we talked for a long time." He reached them at the bottom and followed them into the living room.

"What did she say?"

Brandon didn't know, but in their minds, he had the best chance of getting through to her. Callie had walls up and she let them down only a few times and every time she did, he was there. As much as they wished it were they, Callie trusted Brandon the most. He was her age, her friend, and the only person she confided in.

"She wants to leave, and," he trailed off.

"And? What is it?"

"I think you guys need to listen to her." He was taking a risky move, not telling them what they wanted to hear.

"What?"

"Brandon we don't want to send her away, we need to her know that we all want her here."

"But if she doesn't want to be here, why are we forcing her?"

"We aren't forcing her."

"And if we didn't take her back into our home, she would have stayed in Juvie or be sent to a group home."

"B, I'm confused, do you not want her here?"

"Of course I want her here." He affirmed with them. He wants her to be where ever he is but they don't need to know that. "But I think we need to consider what she wants."

Callie had snuck to the top of the stairs and was listening to their conversation and only wishes her heart would stop beating for it was pounding in her head. She was so nervous that Brandon would say something, anything that would reveal the two of them. She almost wanted to rush down there and cover his mouth, cause every word he was saying was the opposite of what she wanted him to say.

She didn't want him to sound like he was on her side. She didn't want the moms to use him to get to her. He was her spy, in this war for her freedom. She needed the moms to trust him to help them.

"Brandon, last night, you said that Callie didn't run away for no reason. If you know anything, please tell us."

"I don't know." He protested. "I swear I have no idea why she would run."

"Did you ask her?"

"She wouldn't tell me. She's just as mad at me as she is at you."

Stef huffed, "We thought she would talk to you, but it looks like she won't trust any of us."

Callie let out a breath. _Thank God._ But then she hears the front door open and close, and she rushes into her room and closes the door, because she is afraid of who must have finally come home.

Stef and Lena turn to see their young daughter walk through to door. "Hey, moms."

"Hey sweets. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much." The smile on her face said otherwise. "I mean...I signed up for costumes on the school play." She says brightly.

"That's great honey." Stef attempted to sound happy, but her emotions had run dry after the last hour.

Marianna noticed this strange response. "What's going on?"

Brandon speaks before the moms do. "Callie's home."

Marianna's eyes widen. "Is she upstairs?"

"Yes but Marianna-"

"I have to go talk to her." And like a flash, Marianna ran faster upstairs than she ever did in P.E. class, dropping her bag at the bottom of the steps.

Lena and Stef stare at the spot their daughter was standing at before settling back into their nervous states. The anxiousness that had been plaguing them when Jesus and then Brandon were upstairs was starting show in the way they paced across the floor. It unnerved Brandon to see how upset they were about Callie's behavior, and he stayed on the couch, waiting for Marianna to come back down, wishing he could do more for his moms without betraying the girl he loves.

Callie jumped when the door opened, an apology on the tip of her tongue when instead of Jude she sees Marianna who envelops her in a big hug.

"Callie, God I missed you. You don't know how miserable it's been since you left."

Callie's arms hung by her side but she half-halfheartedly reciprocated it, slightly touched that the younger girl was so happy to see her.

Marianna backed away from her, but her face fell when she saw the look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"No one told you?" Marianna shook her head and Callie backed away from her. "Marianna, I didn't want to be sent back here. I didn't just run away for the hell of it. I don't want to be here."

You could have slapped Marianna with a fish and she wouldn't have been more surprised. "What?"

"I don't want to be-"

"Yeah I heard you. Callie, I thought you wanted to be adopted."

"Jude wants to be adopted, I want to be out. I want to be able to decide where I go, whom I stay with. You know how it feels. You know what it's like to be in the system."

"Yeah, I was afraid. I didn't think anyone wanted me. But we want you Callie. We want to be your family. I want to be your sister, Jesus wants to be your brother, and Stef and Lena want to be your moms. And screw Brandon, I love him but I know what he's doing to you."

Callie stiffened. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean Brandon having feelings for you. You don't have to worry, he will suck it up and be your brother because that's the right thing for you."

_Deny, Callie, Deny. _"Marianna, I don't know what you're talking about. Brandon doesn't have feelings for me."

"Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. Either way, he knows it's one sided, he must. I mean you ran off with Wyatt." She went up to Callie. "I'm not going to let you feel like you can't be happy here. I'm not going to let what happened with Liam happen to you."

"God, you think I don't know that. You think I don't know everything you guys have done for me. This isn't an issue and I don't need your help with Brandon. Just leave me alone, and tell the rest of your family the same!" Callie pushed past Marianna and ran into the bathroom, locked the door and pushed her back against it.

"Callie!" Marianna pounded on the door. "I'm just trying to help."

"I don't need your help!"

"I know how you're feeling. You don't want to accept that there are people that care because it seems like everyone that does leaves. I know loss Callie. I lost my best friend. She's gone and I don't want to lose another sister."

Marianna heard the lock click and stood still as Callie walked out, ready to tell off Marianna like she did her twin.

"You think that's loss?" She scoffed. "She's not dead. She moved away. You can still talk to her and she can still come back. Just because you don't get to see her, everyday doesn't mean you even know a fraction of what I have experienced! I thought you would understand but you don't. You're nothing like me, you're just some superficial, shallow, little girl whose biggest problems have to do with guys that don't care about the real you. You've never even had a real boyfriend."

"Screw you!"

"And there it is." Callie nods, a mocking smile on her face. "There's the tantrum." She looks her up and down. "If you were anything like me, you would hit me. But you wouldn't, because you never had to fight to protect yourselves or others. No, you let your brother fight for you. You let him take the fall for you, you go running to a complete stranger because she gave birth to you and let her take advantage of you; you're weak Marianna!"

"Callie!" The girls turn to see Stef, Lena, and Brandon at the top of the stairs, investigating why there were raised voices. They found Marianna and Callie in each other's faces, one girl ready to slap the other. Callie turns towards them and Lena's blood runs cold when she sees the way she glares at them.

Callie's blood, on the other hand, was pumping. She was in fighting mode, her words her weapon against them.

But she was outnumbered; she didn't have anyone in her corner. Brandon couldn't help her, she was looking at him right now, trying to tell him with her eyes that he had to stay away, and he nodded to let her know he knew. But Callie was a deer in headlights, waiting for the inevitable hit, and like a switch she goes from fight to flight.

That's how she's lived, with only two options to survive. It's worked for so long, why would she change now.

A quick turn and she's out of range, launching her into the bathroom and closing her in.

* * *

Second Author's Note: Thanks for the follows guys, it's amazing to see how many of you guys are interested in the story. Reviews are pretty awesome too, I love knowing what your thinking, I'm no pro at this so any kind of commenting is great. Thanks in advance and see you guys in a few days!

Next Chapter: Mother and son have heart-to-hearts with brother and sister.


	4. The Faults of Our Family

Author's Note: So confession time: I haven't written the next chapter for _Words That Were Never Spoken_, thus why there was no update. I'm writing a two or three chapter story, it's called _Near and Far_, and it's Brallie, so look out for it soon. Oh and to address Callie's kind of bitchy behavior, it's just my interpretation of how she would act when placed in this situation. Don't worry, Bitchy Callie will be addressed in a few chapters from now. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"Call-"

"Don't." Marianna stops them. "Trust me, you don't want to talk to her." She looks at her moms as she breaks down, Callie's words sinking in, and Brandon takes this moment to comfort his little sister. He holds her close and she clings to her older brother, the same one she had been worried about last night as he tensed up whenever Callie was mentioned. The thought that she could have ended up being like Callie, with an abusive foster brother instead of the protective, caring one she received, made her feel like an idiot for even considering the idea that Brandon would try to sabotage things for Callie. "I'm sorry, Brandon. I'm sorry." She cried.

"Shhhhh, there's nothing to apologize for. You're not weak Marianna. You're confident and strong and I couldn't ask for a better sister."

"I thought you were like Liam." She confessed. "I thought you were going to hurt Callie. You're nothing like him but I was scared that she ran because of something you did. And I don't want that to become true." She looks up at him through her wet eyelashes. "Promise me it's not what I think it is. Promise me you don't have feelings for her."

There's a time in your life where you have to decide whether or not to tell the truth, even if it hurts someone you love. And right now, Brandon was facing that choice. Saying yes, he doesn't have feelings for her that would be what's best for everyone, especially Callie. But he would be lying. And here is his sister, crying, begging him to tell her the truth, begging him to tell her he's not some sort of threat to Callie, which he isn't. He hopes.

"You don't have to worry," he assured her, trying not to let his voice show how what's he's saying is a complete lie. "I don't have feelings for Callie."

Marianna and the moms smiled, knowing they all needed to hear it, because it had been plaguing their hearts and their minds, wondering how adoption could work with that obstacle in the way.

But Callie, with her ear pressed against the door, felt uneasy with this revelation, considering she knew the truth. But she couldn't ignore the way her heart warmed to the fact that he was lying for her. _Look what I'm doing to goody-two-shoes Brandon._

"Callie?"

Callie jumped away from the door, turning towards it, waiting for Lena to say more.

"Callie, we want to know if you're ready to talk to Jude. We don't want to put you two in the same room until we know for sure what you say won't hurt him."

_Hurt him? You are out of your mind if you think I would ever hurt Jude._

"He'll be here soon. We won't bring him in until you tell us too."

She turns her back to the door and slides down into a sitting position, pressing her knees into her chest, letting her head hang down.

"Callie?"

She stayed silent. She heard their footsteps walk towards the door. "Just leave her," Brandon says. "She'll come out when she's ready."

"Okay," Stef agrees, and together they all make their way back downstairs, Brandon casting one last glance at the bathroom door before joining his family.

* * *

"How long has it been?" Jesus asks

"An hour." Lena answers

"And she still hasn't come out?"

"Nope." Brandon mumbles

"Where's Jude?"

"He's with Mom. She's keeping him away."

"Until when? Callie's not coming out anytime soon."

"Cut the attitude Jesus, we're all frustrated right now." Lena groans. "I thought this whole mess was over when they called us saying they found her."

Brandon speaks up. "We can't blame her for this. It's our fault we let her run away."

"What could we have done instead? Handcuff her to her bed? We had to trust her to stay here."

"Yeah, who knew she would run off with Wyatt?" Marianna pointed out.

"She didn't run off with Wyatt remember? She left him behind." Brandon said, slightly snappish. "Besides, Wyatt shouldn't have given her a ride. He should have called us sooner or brought her to us."

"Wyatt didn't make her run away. It's better he kept her with him instead of letting her get on some bus and go God knows where."

"It doesn't mean I have to like him."

"You never liked him because of what he did to Talya, which Callie told me wasn't true." Marianna interjects.

Lena stopped the fighting. "Wyatt isn't a problem but Callie's attitude is." She looks at Brandon, whose staring at the staircase, waiting for her to walk down, and she worries for a second until she remembers what he said. _He's just being a brother_, she thought.

"Hey," she said to him. "You think you could go talk to Callie? See how she's doing, you know."

He nodded and got up, heading up the stairs. But doesn't plan to talk to Callie.

Callie is lying on the bathroom floor; her hands on her stomach, one leg bent the other one flopped. She spent the past hour running through her head multiple scenarios of how she could talk to Jude, but every one of them had the same ending: Jude hating her, telling her she's a horrible sister, yelling at her because of Brandon, and she didn't know if she could take the rejection from him. But she needs to tell him why she left. He has to know it's not his fault.

It was during this reverie when she hears something on the other side of the door. Scrambling up, she presses her ear against the door and holds her breath.

_Is that...my guitar? _Her hand makes its way to the doorknob but she stalls for a second. She doesn't know if anyone else is out there. So, she sits there, hand on the doorknob, listening to his simple melody until it stops.

"Callie? It's just me. You okay?"

She finally twisted the doorknob and opened the door slightly, and saw Brandon's torso sticking out from the doorframe. He was sitting against the wall and she came out and closed the door, placing herself next to him.

She smiled at the guitar in his hands. It was her guitar, although it would always be something that was once Brandon's. "I was looking for that."

"I was keeping it in my room."

She smirks and looks up at him through her eyelashes. She leans over to kiss him but he moves his head back. "What," she asks. Eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't understand what you're trying to accomplish by hurting Marianna, or the rest of the family for the matter."

She purses her lips. "I'm just trying to make it easier for them to let me go."

"Callie, they all love you, it's going to be hard for them to let you go again."

"Not if I make them hate me first."

"You don't need to make them hate you. If anything, you should try appeal them to the idea. And if- when I mean- we adopt Jude, you're still going to be in our lives."

Her hand rested on his leg and he reached down to grab it. "It looks like your family is going to be stuck with me."

"Hey, I'm not complaining."

"Yeah you better not." She leans over again and he prepares for a kiss but instead she grabs the guitar out of his hands.

"Tease."

She laughs and starts to strum, "God I missed this."

"You know, if it weren't for that guitar we wouldn't have figured out you were gone until it was too late and you were living with Wyatt in Indiana."

"Don't blame Wyatt, he was just trying to help."

"He wanted to keep you with him. He likes you a lot."

"He's just a friend." She bites her lip. "I knew I couldn't feel the same way when I realized I..."

He cocks his eyebrows. "You what?"

She smiles and strums again. To admit her love would take some time. She knew she would do it but to motivate her to say it was the problem. "Nothing," she said. "Not yet," she clarified.

He stands up and offers his hand, which she accepts. "Are you ready to talk to Jude?"

She takes a deep breath. "I don't know what to expect from him. I don't know how he'll feel when he sees me."

"Well let me help you. Close your eyes." She complies and he starts describing a scene. "So, you're sitting in the living room, trying to calm your nerves, when Jude finally walks in. Jude will run to you with open arms and give you a big hug and you will figure out that you had nothing to worry about. He loves you and all he wants is for you two to never be separated again."

"But we have to be." Her eyes open. "I can't stay here Brandon. Not if I want to be with you."

"We could sneak around."

"We would get caught."

"We can wait until we're 18."

"I will still be your sister."

"I don't want you to lose your only chance at a family."

Her hand went to his cheek. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me. I'm willing to wait forever if it means I can be with you. And I'm not trying to be dramatic or trying to charm you. Being with me means, you have to give up everything. It's not something I can ask of you."

She brings her hand down from his cheek and stares into his eyes. Slowly, she leans forward and touches her lips to his briefly. Her head goes to the crook of his neck, and her arms go around his torso. His arms wrap around her body, his fingers running through her hair.

"I need to talk to Jude." Callie says.

* * *

Stef looks over at her silent riding companion. "You okay Jude? You haven't spoken the whole ride home."

He speaks quietly. "I'm worried she'll be mad at me."

"Why? Because you guys fought at the wedding?"

He turns to her abruptly. "She told you about the fight?"

"Yeah, she said you were mad at her because she said she didn't want to be adopted. Is that true?" She cast a glance at him and saw him tense up.

"Yeah," he said nervously, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"Listen Jude, I know that you and Callie have had it rough in your other homes, but you know that you can trust Lena and I to take care of you and your sister. Whatever you two were fighting about, you can tell us about it."

Jude shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with what Stef was asking of him.

"Or you can keep it to yourself. But I always feel better letting it all out instead of keeping it in."

Jude kept his gaze out the window, his voice soft. "Do you ever worry about the past repeating itself?"

"Sometimes. Is that how you feel?"

He nods his head. "Whenever I hear about people crashing their cars because a driver was drunk, all I can think is that it happened before and it will happen again. Even when people know the consequences, they will still do it. It's only when it happens to them when they actually understand. But by then, it's too late. They already made the mistake."

He continues. "I forgave my dad for killing my mom but I've wondered if the family of the people my dad killed have ever forgiven him. How resentful are they? Because I believe that if the person never does it again, and is truly sorry for what they have done, then they deserve redemption. They deserve to be forgiven."

"What if they make the mistake again Jude? Sometimes people have a hard time changing themselves for the better."

"I guess it depends whether or not they really wanted to change." He sits a little taller. "People make promises that they easily break. If the decision to break the promise is so easy, then obviously they never wanted to change."

"But what if they can't Jude? I know my father would love it if I changed back into the loving wife with a husband and son."

"It's not your fault for being gay. You can't help how you feel."

"And some people can't help but make bad decisions. Alcoholics are a good example. They have a hard time trying to stay sober. It's something they have to struggle with everyday."

"You think some people just can't help making mistakes."

"Depends on if they think it was a mistake."

"If they don't?"

"Then it's hard for them to accept what they did and take responsibility for it. I never thought of my relationship with Lena as being a mistake."

He looks back down at his fidgeting hands. "I just don't know if I should forgive her for running away when she obviously doesn't regret leaving me behind."

"Of course she regrets leaving you behind. But she thought that you would be better off without her. She doesn't think you need her to take care of you anymore."

"I'll always need her. It may not be just the two of us anymore, but that doesn't mean we're not still a team."

"About that Jude, Lena and I were wondering if you still wanted us to go through with the adoption."

"You mean, without Callie?"

"Not without Callie, but start your adoption before we start hers."

"You still want to adopt her?"

"We never planned to not do it." She stops outside the house and turns the car off, looking at Jude. "You don't have to tell us now, I just wanted you to know that it was an option."

He nods his head. "I'll think about it."

"Great." Stef unbuckles her seatbelt and opens the door. "Come on, let's go in."

When they walk in the door, all of the kids excluding Callie are sitting in the living room, waiting for the arrival of Stef and Jude. Lena sees them from the kitchen and looks at Jude. "She's upstairs in your room." He nods and then runs up the stairs.

Callie heard the footsteps and she could feel her lunch rising up her throat. She was wrong. She thought she knew what to say but now it all seems wrong. Everything she's doing is wrong. She should be happy to have a family that wants her. She should be spurning Brandon's affection, dampening her own.

_But would you really be happy?_ She would be lying to herself if she thought if moving on would be that easy. Nothing ever was.

_Just do it Callie, no matter what he says, no matter what he thinks, it's your turn to be happy._

Jude finally reached the door and sees his sister. Her throat choked up and tears well in her eyes when she looked at her brother. Her arms reached for him and he ignored how mad he is at her. He ignored the want to yell at her about how stupid she was.

All he wanted to do was hug her.

So, he did just that. Tears flowed from his eyes onto her shirt and she clutched his head to her chest like a mother clutches her baby. She murmurs, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," between sobs and he just nods into her chest. She kisses the top of his head, tears spilling into his hair.

Stef and Lena, standing near the stairs looking in, witnessed this reunion. Lena nudged Stef's arm and gestured for them to go back downstairs, but Stef was desperate for answers, so she stayed in her position. Lena tugged on her arm again and Stef saw her expression. Lena was unrelenting; she was going to give them the privacy they needed, even if it meant knowing what was going on.

And Stef knew this. She knew she couldn't intrude on their moment alone. So, she reluctantly turned her back from the two siblings and walked away.

* * *

Second Author's Note: So guys, again with the reviews, I got 5 the first chapter, then 10 for the second, and then five again. It's weird because I have more views for this story than _Words That Were Never Spoken_ but that one has like 10 reviews a chapter. I don't want to be begging for reviews and I'm not trying to, but I can't tell if you like it or not. I mean the favorites and follows give me some idea, and those are fantastic, but is there something you don't like about this story to make you guys not review? I just want to know. Thanks in advance.

Next Chapter: Jude and Callie's reunion hits a sour note when harsh words are spoken.


	5. Severing Ties

Author's Note: Still haven't gotten around to writing that next chapter for _Words That Were Never Spoken_ but I am ready to post the first chapter of the two shot I'm writing maybe tomorrow or Friday. And I promise, I will have an extra long chapter for _Words That Were Never Spoken_ by next Monday. And thank you guys for the reviews, I'm happy not all of you hate Callie. This next scene is inspired by one of my one-shots called _Apologies_, which is about Jude and Callie arguing over the adoption. I hope you all enjoy my little fight.

* * *

Jude said something Callie couldn't hear, so she loosened her grip and looked at his face. "What?"

"Why did you leave?" Callie stuttered and he shook his head, "And don't lie to me."

Callie still couldn't get the words out. "Did you think it was for the best?" He asked her, trying to get a response. "Callie, tell me."

"I thought-I thought-"

"What? What did you think?" He begged. It was driving him crazy thinking it was his fault she left.

"I thought it was what I wanted. I thought I could get a job and a place to live but I couldn't. I couldn't live on the streets. I looked so desperate, a hooker came up to me and offered a place with her. So, I got myself arrested. I couldn't live on the run. I couldn't do it on my own. So I got myself sent back to Juvie."

She went on. "It didn't work though. I thought I would be sent to another home and I wouldn't have to worry about having someplace to stay or about how you were doing. I knew it would hurt you if I left but you have other people to help you Jude. You may want me, but you don't need me."

"You're wrong, I do need you. I need my family, and you need yours. This family, this is our family, and you can't leave us behind."

Callie eyes welled up. "Us. You said us." She shook her head. "See? You're already one of them Jude. But I can't be."

"Because of Brandon? He's not enough Callie."

"It's not because of Brandon-"

"Of course it is, because nothing bad happened until he kissed you."

"Hey, it's not his fault, okay? I kissed him."

"It doesn't matter who kissed who Callie. He loves you, he's going to fight for you."

Any other circumstance than right now, Callie would have smiled and lit up like a Christmas tree hearing those words. But it just caused more panic in Jude's eyes. "He doesn't have to fight Jude. I want to be with him. I can't if I'm his sister."

"So you're doing this for _him_? He's not worth it Callie! A family will always be there for you. He won't be."

"If I am adopted, he will always be there _as my brother_. I have to see him move on and be happy with some other person, someone who's not me. You would rather I was miserable seeing that?"

"You'll be miserable without a family."

"I'll be fine Jude. I always have been. I don't need a family."

He scoffs at that. "That's ridiculous. Everyone needs a family."

"I don't need to be adopted. I don't need a piece of paper telling me where I belong. I only came back because I made a mistake by running away. I should have told Stef and Lena that I didn't want to be adopted. I shouldn't have taken matters into my own hands. I was wrong."

"Yeah, that seems to be case lately." He snapped.

"What do you want from me?"

"I want my sister back! Not someone who thinks that being reckless is the same as being smart!" He pointed a finger to his head. "Think this through Callie. For once in your life, think of the consequences."

Callie stared at her brother through wet eyelashes, taking a deep breath, "I have thought this through. I have thought many things through. Ever since Liam, every decision I made has been for you. I trashed the car to stop our foster dad from killing you! I went all the way across town to save you from him! I broke my probation to distance myself from Brandon for you! I knew how dangerous these things were, but I still did them, because in my mind, I had to do whatever it took to save you! What have you done in return? What have you had to sacrifice?"

Jude expression changed into one she had never seen before. It was spiteful, angry, and cruel; it was everything she hoped he never would be. It was like looking at her old foster parents.

Callie's kept him in a bubble, blocking him from looking at the world in any way but good. She decided everything for him and he appreciated her taking responsibility. But she lost that right the moment she packed up all of her things and left in the middle of the night. "You know who figured out you ran away? Me. I was the one that noticed your guitar when you were supposed to be at your lesson. No one else figured it out but me. I could have told Stef and Lena about you and Brandon, but I didn't. I stopped him from opening his mouth. I gave you the chance to come back."

"And this isn't the first time I covered for you. We might have ended up in another good home if it weren't for the fact that no one wants a troubled teenager. That's what I've had to sacrifice. A home. That's what I've lost." He spoke with malice. "If I had chosen to be separated from you, then I wouldn't have to worry about you screwing things up. I could have a home, a family at this point if it weren't for you! I could have let myself be happy, but I knew it would kill you if I left you behind. So I stayed with you, hoping you would stop ceaselessly spoiling everything for the both of us. But you never did. You may have your baggage, but you, you're mine."

Jude calling her selfish was like stabbing her in the back. These words were the twist of the handle.

Jude could see he just broke his sister. He swore he could feel something snap in between them, like a cord that connected them was being severed. It was freeing. It gave him the ability to go further, become someone who wasn't part of a package deal.

But it left him empty.

Not knowing what to do now, he stood there, anger still flowing from his gaze, not knowing how to turn it off, and Callie looked like a lost child. It was like Jude was her beacon to safety, to love and family. But now she was drifting, not knowing where to go anymore. He was leaving her behind.

_And it's all my fault_, Callie thought.

* * *

"Jesus?" Jesus looks up at his sister staring at him from across the kitchen table. "Did you ever want to run away when we were kids?"

He leaned forward towards her. "Marianna, I never would have left you behind. You're my twin. And I knew if wouldn't work. We were kids. We wouldn't have gotten far."

"What do you think would have happened to Callie if we hadn't found her?" She looked down at her glass of water. "Bad things probably."

"Hey, don't think about those things. She's here, she's safe, and we need to try get her to want to stay."

"I just don't know how I can share a room with her now."

"She's mad, she'll get over it. You always did."

"I've never had anything to be mad about."

"Oh sure, like you were a ball of sunshine when you found out Lexi and I had sex. I'm sure all you wanted at the time was for me not to be your brother."

"All I wanted was the image of you two-Uhhg." She shudders. "Let's not talk about that anymore."

"So, I heard what you asked Brandon."

"Yeah?"

"I'm happy you did. That would have been messy."

"I know right? Both of my brother's dating my best friends."

"Not to mention the fact that it's against the rules."

"Good thing that's put to rest."

"What's put to rest?" Brandon asked as he walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.

"Nothing." Marianna said quickly.

Brandon turned to question her when they heard loud voices from the second floor of the house.

"Oh no." All three rushed to the stairs where their moms stood at the bottom.

"What's wrong?" Jesus asked.

"I think they're fighting," Marianna says.

"About what?" Jesus walks a little higher up the stairs.

"I don't know it's hard to understand." Marianna joins him on the steps. She craned her neck to hear what was being yelled. "Should we stop them?"

But no sooner does Callie run out the door and down the stairs, pushing past the twins and to door leading to the front porch.

"Callie!" Stef yells and the whole family follows her to the open front door to find Callie sitting on the steps crying with her head on top of her knees.

"Go away!" She screams. Choking sobs rack her body and Stef reaches down to hold her but Callie flinches at her touch. "Go away!" She cries out a little shriller.

"Mom." Brandon whispers, but his mom holds up her hand to stop him.

"Callie." Stef says in a calming voice, but Callie keeps bawling. "Callie, what is it?"

Callie covers her eyes with her hands. "Just leave me alone," she grumbles.

"I'm not going to do that Callie."

"Fuck off, Stef." She spits out. "I don't want to talk to you."

Stef sits on the steps, keeping her distance from Callie. "Callie, I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to self-sabotage. I don't know why you are trying to cut yourself off from the rest of us, but it's not good. You run Callie, when things get bad, because you think it's the only way for you not to get hurt. And you've been hurt in so many ways no one ever should. It's affected you in the way you act, feel, and think.

Callie angles her body away from Stef and leans her head against the post.

"You can't control your future Callie. No matter what you do, life will throw you curve balls. You need to learn how to handle it, or you'll just keep hurting yourself and those around you."

"I don't want to hurt anyone." Callie whispers.

"I know Callie. But you are."

Callie nods. "Can I please be alone now?"

Stef leans over and pats her hand and this time Callie doesn't flinch. "Okay." She gets up and her wife and children watch as she walks back into the house. Slowly they make their way back inside and Callie breaths a sigh of relief when the front door finally clicks shut.

* * *

"Jude, is there something you want to talk to us about?" Lena asked in the living room. Stef stood next to her while the kids went back into the kitchen, and Jude was staring at his fingers, while sitting on the auto man. "Maybe you want to tell us why Callie came running out of the house."

"No, I don't want to talk about it."

"Jude-"

"It's not important," he leans back into the couch, still looking down past their feet.

"Jude, we don't want two of our kids fighting. Whatever it is needs to be settled. Callie is here and she is staying here, whether she likes it or not, and we don't want any sort of tension between you two."

"I'm not allowed to be mad at her?"

"You need to forgive her. She made a mistake and she needs to know that you still love her."

"I don't know if I do." He whispers.

"What?"

"I don't know if I still want to be around her." He grumbles. "She's a grenade, she doesn't know when to stop messing up, and she ruins it for the people around her."

"Sweetie-"

"Mom?" Stef and Lena turn to see Brandon standing behind them from the kitchen doorway. "Can I talk to Jude for a second?"

Stef turns back to Jude, who shrugs his shoulders indifferently. They stand off to the side but Brandon signals them to leave. He needed to talk to Jude alone. Because he loves his sister and both he and Jude know what will happen if they tell Stef and Lena.

They reluctantly leave and Brandon takes a seat on the couch where Jude turns from where he is sitting.

"You can't say that about your sister."

"Sorry if you don't like me talking about your _girlfriend._" He gripes.

"I'm not trying to cause trouble for you Jude. I want you to be my little brother. I want you to confide in things with me. I want to give you advice about girls you're interested in. I want you to have everything you deserve and more because you're a good kid and you and your sister have gone through more than I have ever experienced." He leans closer to Jude, who finally looks at him, the animosity plain to Brandon, who drops his voice. "I didn't think that Callie felt the same way. I was perfectly willing to let her become my sister because at least she would have been happy. I would do anything for her Jude. If she wants to be adopted, I won't stop her. If she wants to live on her own, I will get a job to support her. Your happiness is her first priority. Her happiness is mine." Jude's gaze softens a bit. "I guess the question is, what's your priority. Is it your happiness? That's fine if it is. Good really. You should want to be happy. But at what cost has it come too?"

"I never asked Callie to do those things."

"You don't have to. That's just the kind of person she is."

Jude's head droops down. "I just don't think it'll be the same for us anymore. She's left me behind so many times, why shouldn't I do the same?"

"Because she always comes back for you." Brandon moves over next to Jude and puts his arm around his shoulder. "Your sister isn't going to be alone. I'm going to be there for her, and so will Marianna, Jesus, Lena, and Stef. No matter what she does, we will not abandon her. So don't give up on her."

Jude nods and he finally hugs Brandon back, "You're a good brother."

"So are you, Jude. Now, I think there's someone you need to talk to."

* * *

Callie covered her face with her hands when she heard the front door open. "I don't want to come back in yet."

"There's someone that needs to talk to you." She turns to see Jude standing behind Brandon, as if preparing Callie to attack him. She stands up quickly and takes a few shaky steps forward.

Throat hurting from the many times she has cried today, she tries to speak clearly. "I don't know what to say to you Jude. Everything you said was true. But I'm not just going to do whatever you want."

"I know Callie." He stands next to Brandon, who's watching the exchange between the siblings. "Brandon told me that I should let you be happy. And I want you to be. So," he looks at Brandon and then back at Callie, "I can be okay with you two."

Callie smiles and Jude walks over and wraps his arms around her body, while she squeezes his frame tightly. She looks up at Brandon still standing far away and gestures for him to come over. He does and he and Callie sandwich Jude while Callie keeps one arm around Jude and puts the other around Brandon's shoulders. "Thank you." She whispers, and after checking to see if anyone was looking from the window, she quickly presses a kiss to Jude's cheek. "Can I talk to Brandon for a little Jude?"

He separates from both of them and nods before going back into the house. Callie checks the windows again and then takes Brandon's shirt front and pulls him into a kiss, his hands cupping her face, and she wanted to keep it brief but then his lips started doing that thing that make her want more and she finally pulls away after gathering some serious willpower.

"What was that for?" He asks, and she leans her forehead against his.

"For saving the day." She walks away and opens the door, looking back at him still standing there on the porch. She smiles again and he follows her in.

"Anytime."

* * *

Next Chapter: The kids go back to school, and Callie gets a wake up call from one of the mothers


	6. The End of the Beginning

Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry I still don't have an update for _Words That Were Never Spoken_, but a technical difficulty made it so that I couldn't type the last part of the chapter. It will be fixed and posted soon. _Near and Far_ is almost completed so that will probably be updated before _Words That Were Never Spoken_. I'm finally starting to get into the other storylines of the other characters so that's going to be fun for me. And thanks for the reviews last chapter, it's always fun writing arguments so I'm glad you all liked Jude's outburst. Anyway, read on!

* * *

"Hey," Marianna looks at her bedroom door to see Callie standing there, arms crossed, expression indifferent, "look, what I said earlier, it was mean. I shouldn't have said it."

Marianna rolls her eyes, "Whatever."

"Marianna-"

She slams her pencil down on her desk and swivels in her chair towards Callie. "I thought you were my friend. I thought you were going to be my sister."

Callie shrugs her shoulders at Marianna's little outburst, which was just proving what she said before. "I'm not leaving anytime soon, according to your moms."

"They could have been your moms too."

"Just drop it Marianna. It's done. I've made my decision." She walked over to her bed in the corner and flopped onto it.

But Marianna wasn't letting it go without a fight. "What has to happen to a person for them to totally give up on being a part of a family?" Marianna jumps up and walks to Callie. "I stood up for you in front of my friends and now I have none."

"It's not my fault your friends suck."

"And it's not my problem that you're so messed up that you can't even recognize when people actually care about you." She lets out a breath and continues. "I'm getting tired of this facade that you don't want to be here. Despite this hardening of your heart that you do, you are human. You have feelings and things you want like I do. And I know you want a family. I saw it the moment moms asked if you wanted to be a part of this family. So just stop pretending already."

Callie just stares at Marianna, whose spirits sink as she gets up off the bed. "I'll let you finish your homework." Callie walks out the door and Marianna faces in the opposite direction, turning her back on the door frowning upon her homework.

"Great to have you back." She mutters.

* * *

"You can't be sitting out here alone," Lena says to Callie who's curled up on one of the outdoor couches in the backyard.

"You chaperoning me?"

"Yes, I am. You need to earn your trust back with this family. Even if you're not planning on becoming a part of this family, Stef and I are still your guardians and while you're living under this roof you need to abide under our rules."

"Sorry, Vice-Principal Adams, I'll go back to my room," she trudges past Lena who sighs and stops her.

"Callie, Principal Sanchez is letting you back into school tomorrow, so be ready tomorrow morning."

"I just got back and you're sending me to school?"

"It's part of your probation. You need to show your P.O. that you are willing to set up roots here and that you're not going to run away again."

"And how am I supposed to do that? I'm sure everyone's heard that I ran off with Wyatt and made up their own stupid rumors about why I did it."

"I have to send you to school. And if you skip, I have to tell your Parole Officer. That's the rules."

"That's bull." She rushes past Lena and Lena takes a place at the kitchen counter. Lena eyes the phone before picking it up and putting in the phone number.

"Hey sweetie, how was your day," her moms voice resonates through the phone and Lena takes a shuddering breath as she tries to say something back.

"Overall, it wasn't good."

"What happened?"

"Remember I told you we were going to Callie's hearing to see if we could get her back?"

"Yes. Did it not work out?"

"No, we got her back. But mom, she doesn't want to be here. She spent the whole car ride not speaking and when we finally get home, she tells us that she want to move out and that she never wanted us to adopt her."

"Oh honey."

Lena leans her head against her hand and squints her eyes as the tears form. "I just wanted to help her and everything she's said since she came back has just hurt somebody."

"Honey, you took a risky move taking in a girl who just got out of Juvie. You knew it would be hard take care of two extra kids. Why did you think adoption was the best decision for these two?"

"Because they deserve it mom. They're good kids."

"And you and Stef are great parents. I know you have your heart set on keeping these kids, and I know how much you have connected with Jude. You've provided her and her brother with a home, safety, an education, and a chance at having a real family. If she doesn't want it, you can't force it on her."

"So what do I do then? Send her back like a meal at a restaurant? Callie needs a family."

"Give it time Lena. Things will work out the way they should. The best thing you can do is be there for her, be a parent, show her that you aren't giving up on her."

Lena nods, a tear escaping before blinking the rest away, "I have to get to bed. Thanks for talking with me."

"Of course. I love you sweetie."

"I love you too Mom."

* * *

"Welcome back to class Callie." Timothy says when Callie walks into class. She ducks her head and just takes her seat, near the middle of the room, where she can still feel the stares from her classmates as her body sinks lower into the uncomfortable chair. Whispers are being passed around and the way kids are being obvious that they're talking about Callie running just makes the situation seem so high school right now.

_Fifty-five minutes left_, she's reading a chapter of a book she doesn't remember reading, her foot tapping up and down as her eyes glaze over the same sentence for the tenth time.

_Thirty-five minutes left_, Timothy hasn't called on her, and he's easily becoming her favorite teacher by scolding anybody that is talking behind her back.

_Fifteen minutes left_, Fingers tap as she stares at the blank page of her journal. _How am I supposed to freaking answer this?_ Kids are writing all around her and all she wants is to get out.

Bell rings and she is almost the first person out when Timothy calls her back.

"Get everything done by next week or it'll be late," and she rolls her eyes and drags off to the next class.

_One class down, five more to go._

* * *

Standing at the edge of the crowd, Callie watches friends find friends and silently slinks to the stairwells where she used to eat before Wyatt came and she found solace in his friendship.

This time though, the emptiness of the area gave her the chance to feel like she wasn't being watched. Every teacher in her class gave her a look like she was about to pull a gun out of her jacket and start pinning kids down. Adults were no better than kids.

_Speaking of brats_, Marianna walks by with some boy whose excitingly telling her some story.

"Hey isn't that the girl you're fostering?"

"Just ignore her, please."

Callie's eyebrows rise at Marianna's brashness, never thinking she would publicly shun her. Mariana spared her one glance but Callie immediately stared her down and Marianna's eyes went downcast, instantly regretting her words and tone.

"Can I talk to you?"

Looking up from her lunch, she saw Talya, without her lackeys and with a serious expression on her face. Callie cocks her head and pretends to actually try to think of an answer to that asinine question. "Don't you see the big banner above my head saying to not talk to me? Cause everyone else does apparently."

"Well what did you expect, a big welcome party?"

"No," Callie smiles mockingly, "this was exactly what I thought coming back would be like."

"Do you have to act like this?"

Callie raises her eyebrows. "Like what? A pariah? In case you haven't noticed, I seem be classified as one."

"You know, I was actually worried about you while you were gone."

"I'm sure that when you heard I was sent back to Juvie, you hoped I would rot there."

She flinches back. "I didn't. I don't."

"Liar."

She stands a little taller. "I just came to talk about Brandon."

Callie stiffens. "There's nothing to talk about."

"He broke up with me yesterday because of you."

"You're delusional."

"He told me it was because of you. Nothing else would make sense to me."

"Maybe it has nothing to do with me. Maybe he needed an excuse to end things with you. He broke up with you once, what made you think he couldn't do it again."

"We were happy before you came. He loved me but now he's broken my heart, twice."

"I'm sorry, how is that my problem?"

"You're my problem. You running away broke him, but I could have helped him get better, I could have helped him forget you. But then, you came back, and he couldn't wait to be rid of me the moment you came home."

"I had no intention coming back and I had no intention of taking Brandon from you. But he's a big boy; he can make his own decisions. I didn't manipulate him to do anything."

"So what, you don't love him?"

"No." Her heart constricted as the lie easily rolled off her tongue. "So whatever you may think is going on between us, it isn't. So you can just take your flouncy shirts and smelly perfume and just breeze on back to your friends."

She looks me up and down and a confused look crosses over her face. "You're trying to make me hate you."

Callie's face goes stony. "Is it working?"

She steps back, a shocked look on her face. "What is your problem? You never acted like this."

"Like what?" Callie goaded.

Talya glared, "Like a bitch."

"Guess I've had a change of heart." Callie crumpled up her trash and picked up her backpack, "I'm not trying to make you like me anymore. In fact, you can just take what you think and shove it. I'm done with this place. I'm done with you and you're stupid friends, I'm done with teachers looking at me like I'm some sort of threat, and I'm done with everyone trying to figure out what my problem is. I don't have a problem. It's all of you that just can't accept that maybe I'm different."

"You're not just different. You're toxic." Her face twists into an expression so hateful, it could have competed with some of the looks Callie got in Juvie. "You know what, I'm done with you too. I don't care what happens to you anymore. Have a nice life." She walks past Callie, shoving her shoulder with hers, "Bitch."

Callie doesn't even spare a glance at her. Every cell in her body wants to say something snide towards her, wants to get the final word in. But it's not worth it. And if anything, it just makes her spirits sink down to the pit of her stomach as she stands in the middle of the hallway.

She feels eyes from the side of her face and she knows he's standing there watching her because for the first time today she doesn't feel like a zoo animal looking out behind bars as people gawk and talk about her. She turns her head and locks eyes with him and he finally walks towards her, glancing off to where Talya had disappeared.

"Hey," Brandon stands in front of her. "Was she bothering you?" Callie looks down at the ground and he takes another step towards her. "You shouldn't listen to her. She's just mad I broke up with her."

She gives the smallest shake of her head and backs away from him. "I'm fine."

He nods and his mouth sets into a line. "So, you want to hang out after school? Go somewhere and just talk?"

Callie bites the inside of her cheek and shakes her head. "There's no way your mothers will let me go anywhere. I'm sure I'm grounded. Besides," she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and begins to walk past Brandon, "we probably shouldn't."

He grabs her arms and stops her. "Callie, I told you I would be careful."

"But a big part of you doesn't want to be. You want to tell the moms, I get that. But I don't know if I'll be leaving anytime soon," she says truthfully, "and I can't do anything to rash. Jude needs the comfort of knowing that wherever I go, I'm safe."

"I told you, you don't have to leave. We can wait."

"But you don't want to, and neither do I. It's better we just get it over with, skip all the awkward dinners and exchanges in the hallway."

"We're not awkward."

"We are the definition of awkward. If I got adopted and we had to introduce ourselves to other people, it'd be, 'Hey, this my sister, I mean my girlfriend, oh wait I guess I mean both'."

"Do you really have to go though?"

She shrugs. "If I'm given the chance to get out of the system, I have to take it. It'll be hard, but it's what I want."

He looks down at her, wanting to take her hand, but knows she would resist. "At least tell my moms." She shakes her head. "They can help." He insists.

"I don't want to bring them into this."

"They're your foster moms, your legal guardians. Where you end up is their business. And it will make it easier I'm sure to get a place of your own if they're backing you up." She crosses her arms and he tries to be a little more forward. "Bill won't listen to you otherwise. You need to talk to them."

"Fine." She concedes. "I'll talk to them."

"Now."

"Now?"

"Lena is in her office right now, and if you want this to be easy, you should probably talk to them one at a time."

She huffs and looks up at him, the one small glance she spares him, giving him the chance to plead with his eyes and she nods. It was the least she could do for him. He gives her a little half smile and watches her walk to Lena's office down the hall, and she knows that he's not going to leave until he sees her walk in. So, she turns the knob and steps in, Lena's head looking up from her lunch.

"Hey Callie. Is everything all right?" Callie sits down and swallows before she starts speaking.

"I want you to help me get an apartment."

Lena's eyes go big but she stays silent, letting Callie continue. "I'm not asking you to buy me a place to live and pay the rent. I just, I don't know, thought that maybe there are programs out there for kids like me that want to live on their own. But I realize that for me to get this chance to be on my own, I probably need you and Stef to help me out. My P.O doesn't think I can do it, and as good of a person Bill is, the only thing he's ever done is put a roof over my head and leaves me to take care of myself. You and Stef helped me out with Liam, so I thought you could help me again."

_The best thing you can do is being there for her; be a parent, show her that you aren't giving up on her_. Dana's words remind Lena. The only way Lena could show that is if she agrees to help Callie grow up and take responsibility. Luckily, she knew how to do that.

Lena leans forward on her desk, her face blank. "Callie, I don't think you have really earned the right to be on your own." She clasps her hands and goes into full vice-principal mode. "Looking at your attitude towards coming back yesterday, I think that you need someone to look after you until you start acting more responsible. I know that you think you are ready, but up until you ran away, you expressed no desire to leave. And I can't trust that this decision to move out is well thought through. You make some spontaneous choices, like going across town to get Jude, or damaging your foster father's car-"

"He deserved it!" Callie argues.

"Yes, he did. I know your intentions are always good, and you probably didn't think that running away would worry us so much. But your problem Callie is that when you are stuck in a bad situation, you take the first idea that pops into your head and you don't think of the consequences before going in headfirst. Before you are able to be on your own, you need to learn how to cope with this." She reaches into her bag, pulls out a brochure, and slides it across the desk. "This is a friend of ours who has helped us out in the past when one of our kids needed some guidance. We want you to talk to her. If she says you can handle it, then Stef and I will do our best to get you a place. But if she agrees with us, that you need this family more than independence, then you stay, no more resistance, no more attitudes. Can you agree to that?"

Jaw set and eyes hard, Callie tries to keep her calm while she looks down at the tiny booklet in front of her, weighing her options of saying no and losing her chance or saying yes and risk letting a woman psychoanalyze her. Either way, she's letting someone else make a decision for her.

"How am I supposed to know that you won't just say no, no matter the outcome?" She asks.

Lena stands up and leans over her desk, making Callie feel like she was a small child looking up at a powerful adult, someone with clearly more power than her. "I swear on my job that if you keep up your end of the bargain, I'll keep mine. I can say the same about Stef. Now do we have a deal?" She picks up the brochure and holds it out like some sort of peace treaty, although it feels more like a chain that will keep her in place. But at least this chain could come off.

"Deal." She takes the brochure with two fingers and holds her arms next to her sides. "I'll keep my end."

Lena nods and gestures towards the door and Callie took that as her dismissal. She almost makes it out the door before Lena adds, "And Callie. I don't want to hear from anybody, students or teachers, about your attitude and behavior. Principal Sanchez still needs to report to your P.O. about whether she thinks you're making an effort here. So don't give her any reason not to."

It could have been a threat if it weren't for the fact that Lena's voice oozed with concern and the corner of Callie's mouth turned up as she looked back at her.

"Thanks," she pauses, "Lena."

Lena visibly relaxes from hearing her name come out of her mouth, as opposed to 'Vice-Principal Adams' and waves her hand to say goodbye. "I'll see you at home Callie."

_Not my home_, Callie thought. But she just nodded and left the office not feeling like she won or loss. More like the game just got started.

* * *

Next Chapter: Marianna has to decide whether to stand up for Callie or gain a friend.


End file.
